Lift-strap for recumbent patients.



D. GURTIN. LIFT STRAP FOB. REGUMBENTPATIENTS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1l. 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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LIFT-STRAP non anew/:BENT PATIENTS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentediJan. 5, 1909.

Application filed July 11, 1908. Serial No. 443,151.

Pennsylvania, have invented certain newv and useful Improvements in Lift-Straps for Recumbent Patients; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exlso act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

I have produced a lift-strap designed for attachment to the foot-post or rail of a bedstead for use in assisting the sick occupant to raise himself or herself from a recumbent to a sitting osition and thereby greatly relieve or aid t e nurse in this laborious duty.

The device is adapted to be anchored to the bedstead post and to be grasped by the hands of and engaged by the foot of the patient by which both a pulling and a pushing force is exerted and the patient rendered thereby self raising to a sitting position and held in such position for rest, for eating, and for exercise as may be desired and in its exercising function as a means of strengthening the vertebral column, and the organs of motion of the arms and limbs these exercising and lifting movements being under the free control of the patient and who may thereby easily eect a change of position in the bed without undue exertion, and in the appended claims I will point out the novel construction of the lift-strap device in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows in side view the bedstead and the lift-strap anchored to the foot-post thereof. Fig. 2 shows the strap with its anchoring end, its pulling hand-grasp and its foot-engaging pushing-loop.

Preferably a strong leather strap is used having one end adapted to be looped around the foot-post 1 of a bedstead the loop 2 for convenience being preferably formed by the end of the strap and a doubleT shaped coupling 3 the arms 4 of one end of which being fastened by stitching to the lapped end of the strap, while the arms 5 of the other end of the coupling are caused to engage the strap by a slitted opening 6 to receive the coupling bar so that the latter can be freely inserted through the opening in the strap and turned so that the arms of the coupling will stand across the slit to secure the connection. This renders it convenient to connect and disconnect the strap to the post or to the footrail and for this purpose the strap may have a plurality of slitted openings, the slits standing lengthwise of the strap. The other end of the strap has a doubleT shaped coupling 7 the arms 8 at one end being slotted to receive the lapped and stitched end of the strap, While at its other end the coupling-bar forms a double-hand-grasp 9 preferably of corkhandles by which the patient by a pulling function of the arms can raise and lower him or herself in the bed and be held in a sitting position as may be desired and with liberty to use either hand while being so held under a pulling function on the anchored strap.

Between the anchoring and the pulling end of the strap provision is made for attaching to it preferably near its anchored end, one or more detachable foot-engaging loops or stirrups 10 preferably formed by a strap 11 and a double T shaped couplin into a slotted arm 12 of which, the strap isooped while the other arm 13 of the coupling is engaged with a slitted opening 14 of the strap, and the loop extending therefrom toward the anchored end of the strap serves to receive the foot of the patient who is thereby allowed to exert a pushing force by his legs the effect of which 1s to cause a pulling force on the strap toward its anchoring end, while the pulling force of the patients arms on the strap is in the opposite direction that is, from its anchoringpoint. 'Ihe advantage of the pushing function of the foot in opposition to the pulling function of the arms is, that while the pulling function of the arms tends to cause the patient to slide on the bed, the pushing force of the foot serves to counteract this sliding movement and to assist the patient to raise him or herself from a recumbent position and the two forces thus rendered active even in a patients weakened condition by sickness, is made efficient as the means by which the patient may raise him or herself to a sitting sition Without the aid of a nurse. In tiis double lifting force the patient is lifted so as to sit up with ease and comfort by reason of the two forces of the patients arms and feet while being exerted in opposite directions are both controlled in their lifting action from the hand-holds of the patient. Obviously the patient may use both feet in the stirrup-strap, or a stirrup-strap may be provided for each foot. When the stirru -strap cannot be used it can be removed, an it can be uickly applied and for this purpose the anc oring-strap may have slitted openings for a pair of stirrup-straps, and for' the' ad# justment of the anohoringloopforthe post-y or for the rail. In applying or disengaging the coupling it is only required to tiirn its arms to present them endwise to the slitted opening and When inserted the sli-t closesover the armed coupling.

I claim:

l. A lift-strap for a reeumbent patient, consisting of a hand-pulled strap having' a donbleT shaped coupling, at one end, a piu#v raiity of slittecl openings adapted to receivek the arm of saidt Coupling' to form a" loop for arieh'orin" the strap to the be'dstead, the' other' en'cv of said strapv having a double T shaped coupling one end of which has a slot to' receive said strap, the other end of said Coupling terminating in a duplex hand'hold.

2'. vA lift-strap for a reeumh'ent patient, consist/ing of a bandi-'pulled strap' having a'y eouplingat one end, slitted openings adapted to reoeive suoh coupling for anchoring the strap to the-bedste'ad, the' other endI of said 5' strapY having a hanot-g'rasp"y and a stirrup 1 lforthefoot supplementing the hand-pulled .stra-pb V3. Arlift-strap for a recumbent patient, si'stingo al Hand-pulled strap having a "coupling at one end, slitted openings adapted an anohoringloop and a foot attachment or' stirrup.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subsoribing Witnesses.

DENIS oURTi'N.

Wfit'nesses:

P. HAET, Y HARRY" T. LEDM. 

